Julian Louie

A short film featuring Ukrainian model Jules Mordovets lounging in a variety of Julian Louie ensembles was how the designer presented his Fall line. "There's intense workmanship in these clothes," he told Style.com, as the camera panned across a blouse to reveal a smattering of Swarovski pearls, "and those are the details that get lost in a show."

A focus on laid-back silhouettes—carried over from Spring—unified the collection. It ranged from a pieced-together silk T-shirt paired with velvet peg-leg trousers to a roomy ruffle-trimmed dress embroidered with a floral motif inspired by a chair once owned by Marie Antoinette.

It was difficult to trace how Louie, who made a name for himself with sharp lines and a knack for color-blocking, came to create some of the more ornate pieces. By contrast, a silk-and-velvet tee with the aforementioned pearl embroidery, worn tucked into a simple black velvet miniskirt, felt like a more natural evolution. In any case, Louie has a talent for clothes that are at once special and wearable. Judging by the influential buyers in attendance tonight, we're not the only ones who think so.